


The Dancer and the Musician

by TheAllKnowingOwl



Series: the way things could've, would've been [3]
Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: F/M, This isn't smut I promise you, With A Twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 20:03:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11996976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAllKnowingOwl/pseuds/TheAllKnowingOwl
Summary: She is the Dancer, he is the Musician, and she moves for him all night long.





	The Dancer and the Musician

In this story, Orpheus meets Eurydice at a feast of Dionysus. She is the most beautiful dancer in the room, the most graceful, the most captivating, the most lovely.

 

In this story, he is the player of all players, and he plays long into the night for her.

 

In this story, she is the dancer of all dancers, and she dances all night to his music.

 

And even though some try for her, no one is really surprised when Eurydice ends up with him: they are a matched set, after all.

 

The Dancer and the Musician.

 

Together, they seem to hold the light and life of the room.

 

Then Eurydice is dead, and it seems as though Orpheus' lute will never be touched again. His fingers, it seems, were made to play for her and her alone.

 

Following her into the Underworld was a surprise, but no one is truly shocked, because anyone who has seen them together has felt the strings of living music and movement binding them together.

 

Charon is reluctant, at first, to take him across the river, but what were Orpheus' finger created for if not to make people move?

 

Cerberus is child's play: lullabies are too.

 

He has some trouble with Hades and Persephone, but music is emotion in sound form, and after a few minutes of a tragedy treble and agony alto, they are begging him to take his wife home.

 

And she is there, and she is in his arms and he loves her and she knows.

 

And the Fates know it too.

 

He plays for her on the way back, her body rising and falling to the quavering, hopeful notes as she follows him to life.

 

At the gates, he is stopped by three stooped and straight standing figures.

 

Do you really want this? they ask him. This pale imitation of life?

 

Would you really want them to see you? they say. With their torches and pitchforks?

 

You would be dead as soon as you were living again, they tell them. It is not worth it.

 

Leave her here, or turn back, they propose. Those are your only options.

 

They show him their possible futures:

 

One is full of pain and loneliness and wandering, ending in death to a deaf crocodile.

 

The other is more certain, they say, death always is.

 

In this story, Orpheus looks out at the living world.

 

Then he looks back.

 

And follows his love home.

 

Now they spend eternity dancing and playing in the Fields of Forever.


End file.
